An input/output (I/O) unit is a component of an electronic card allowing the electronic card to communicate with external entities, such as computing devices. For instance, a processing unit of the electronic card generates data, which are transmitted to a computing device via the I/O unit. Data can also be received from a computing device by the electronic card via the I/O unit, to be further processed by its processing unit. The I/O unit supports one or several communication protocols (e.g. Ethernet, Wi-Fi, etc.) to communicate with the external entities.
The I/O unit generally operates in pre-defined manner, according to pre-defined operating parameters which can be stored in a memory of the electronic card. However, in various types of applications, such as for example flight simulators, it may be convenient to use generic electronic cards which can be configured to operate in a particular manner to implement specific functionalities. Thus, the same generic electronic card is capable of behaving differently, based on its specific configuration. The specific configuration generally consists in executing a specific software to implement a specific functionality. However, to provide more flexibility in the way the generic electronic card can operate, it may be practical to also have an I/O unit which can be configured.
Therefore, there is a need for a configurable input/output unit, and a configurable modular cad provided therewith.